(CLP) Programs

Appleton Greene corporate training programs are all process-driven. They are used as vehicles to implement tangible business processes within clients’ organizations, together with training, support and facilitation during the use of these processes. Corporate training programs are therefore implemented over a sustainable period of time, that is to say, between 1 year (incorporating 12 monthly workshops), and 4 years (incorporating 48 monthly workshops). Your program information guide will specify how long each program takes to complete. Each monthly workshop takes 6 hours to implement and can be undertaken either on the client’s premises, an Appleton Greene serviced office, or online via the internet. This enables clients to implement each part of their business process, before moving onto the next stage of the program and enables employees to plan their study time around their current work commitments. The result is far greater program benefit, over a more sustainable period of time and a significantly improved return on investment.

Appleton Greene uses standard and bespoke corporate training programs as vessels to transfer business process improvement knowledge into the heart of our clients’ organizations. Each individual program focuses upon the implementation of a specific business process, which enables clients to easily quantify their return on investment. There are hundreds of established Appleton Greene corporate training products now available to clients within customer services, e-business, finance, globalization, human resources, information technology, legal, management, marketing and production. It does not matter whether a client’s employees are located within one office, or an unlimited number of international offices, we can still bring them together to learn and implement specific business processes collectively. Our approach to global localization enables us to provide clients with a truly international service with that all important personal touch. Appleton Greene corporate training programs can be provided virtually or locally and they are all unique in that they individually focus upon a specific business function. All (CLP) programs are implemented over a sustainable period of time, usually between 1-4 years, incorporating 12-48 monthly workshops and professional support is consistently provided during this time by qualified learning providers and where appropriate, by Accredited Consultants.

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Executive summary

Technology Invoked Change

Implementation of any form of technology comes with a unique set of challenges ranging from validating the type and condition of technology to be implemented to extracting the value promised. Technology Invoked Change brings together best practice tools and techniques that enable management teams to maximise the success they can extract from any project.

Throughout the course, the emphasis is placed as much on the people and process aspects as much or more than the technology; because no matter to what level of automation is being implemented, there will be underlying processes with associated business rules and some interaction between the technology and a human being.

Each course module will reinforce the People-Process-Technology mantra to become second nature to all students. We guarantee that you will become better equipped to manage technology projects and the resultant change without the need to understand how the technology is built and implemented.

How do we feel confident we can guarantee this outcome?

In all technology projects, there will be a level of technical skill required, which will likely be beyond your reach as business leaders. Therefore, can you still lead the project? Applying the correct management principles in engaging with external suppliers, employing technical support personnel, and selecting technology.

Jeff Bezos is an excellent example of someone who has successfully employed and developed leading-edge technology with a high-level technical background from college only, from customer portals for managing orders and reviewing purchased history to the use of AI to suggesting other purchases to warehouse robotics and virtual shops performing pick and despatch functions.

Insert jeff bezos’s profile.

By focusing more on people and process change aspects, leaders can effectively manage the project implementation by challenging technologists to demonstrate how they will deliver a solution to the processes defined and the impact on the roles and responsibilities of people. The benefit is greater confidence in discussing requirements with technicians and, with tools learned later in the programme, higher levels of capability in managing projects.

Managing the scope of technology implementation is fundamental to project success measured in scope creep, unnecessary developments, cost, and time overruns. By focusing on processes and applying techniques enabling the evaluation of any change introduced through technology, leaders can challenge the internal team and the technology vendor. Extending these techniques beyond the high-level process view to features and functionality analysis provides a robust basis for decision-making.

The ability to understand processes that drive the business, the impact that technology can have, and at what cost strengthens an executive’s position within the team and in the eyes of the vendor. It enables the executive to make better decisions in selecting the technology and the implementation partner.

Understanding how the technology will transform the company’s position vis-a-vis the market requires insight. Using a company’s resources at its disposal, in many cases at little cost, can provide the backbone of horizon scanning in terms of technology that might apply to the business. Coordinating inputs from salespersons, internal suggestions, customer complaints and surveys, and competition analysis with some basic research in market journals, maybe combined with liaisons with research institutes, will provide a rich vein of information to drive creativity.

We will discuss how to productionise this effort to manage the information into coherent opportunities.

The course will help executives review and outline their process and apply measures to ensure it is managed and operated to benefit the company. It will identify key innovations to help achieve the strategic goals and avoid costly mistakes.

Horizon-scanning: how to plan for alternative business futures Wilson Wong CIPD

www.cipd.co.uk

Executives need to be sure that projects that they back with resources move the company forward in terms of the market, such as improving the customer experience, making the company more competitive and improving the engagement and retention of staff. During the course, we examine how defining the criteria relating to the strategic alignment of projects can help assess fit. Then, add other dimensions, such as resource requirement and returns on investment, enabling executives to contrast and compare outcomes and make more robust decisions.

Closely coupling this process with market research helps avoid disasters like Web Van.

(Webvan was one of the first online grocery stores and is among the most famous Dotcom Bubble busts. The company raised nearly a billion dollars from investors but went bankrupt after two years of operations. Webvan’s strategy of “growth at any cost” was characteristic of many failed Dotcom Bubble companies. Courtesy of Street Fins) Webvan: The Dotcom Bubble’s Biggest Bust | StreetFins®. www.streetfins.com

… more match the success of Deliveroo;

“It met a classic untapped need,” he said. “The growth from the very early days was viral and customer-driven.”

“The Founder executed his plan for Deliveroo extremely well by paying attention to the big picture and the little details. And he brought in the right people.”

Courtesy of London Business School

Previously business success could be measured through product and service quality, operational cost management, innovation and supply chain robustness. Now the impact of the environment and climate change has added another dimension. According to the Harvard Business Review, leading advocates in developing countries vividly demonstrate that trade-offs between economic development and environmentalism aren’t necessary. Instead, the pursuit of Sustainability can be a powerful path to reinvention for all businesses facing limits on their resources and their customers’ buying power.

Understanding how a sustainable approach can lower costs, improve yields, and build new business models that are challenging to emulate will be vital to driving future business performance improvement.

Broadening the standards addressed beyond quality control to embrace Sustainability and environmental legislation should be integrated into the technology and implementation plan. The course will demonstrate how these standards can be applied to idea generation and development and new business models; and how the new frameworks will provide frameworks for measurement and management.

Typical results quoted by BSI are:

• 63% attribute direct cost savings to ISO 14001
• 74% report improvements to their corporate reputation
• 76% improve their compliance
• 61% report higher morale among staff
www.greenjournal.co.uk

To successfully implement change, whether driven by technology or not, it has long been recognised that executives need to articulate their vision for the business and demonstrate their commitment to change with specific actions to contribute to change. During the course, we ask the business executives to propose a project to exercise these skills and support with tools such as the Business Model Canvas and Target Operating Model to distil the essence of the future state.

As we move through the course, the vision will change due to internal and external factors requiring review and recommunication. Stakeholder management and tools to support different forms of communication depending on the audience will discuss and practice along with case-studies from good storytellers and visionaries such as Jack Welch (GE), Steve Jobs (Apple), Jim Ratcliffe (INEOS) and others.

The course will also examine how it is essential for a senior executive, not just the CEO, to provide a vision for your team that connects with the overall vision.

As well as embracing stakeholder communication, we will demonstrate the importance of training for all staff so they can comprehend and contribute to the change. These programmes are a good vehicle for upskilling employees in decision-making, problem-solving and team leading, for example. Reviewing the development of online training resources and virtual collaborative working environments will show these technologies help to facilitate better educational success leading to greater acceptance and implementation of change and enabling staff to learn at their own pace using collaboration with colleagues to resolve their understanding.

Digital technologies have rapidly transformed the information landscape, particularly over the last 20 years, from design technologies such as 3D and printing to intelligent phone-based applications. The graphic below shows the growth over the previous seven years leading to 30% more IT professionals expecting a permanent transformative change in the next 12 months (2022), up from less than 15% in 2021.

One of the transformative technologies that have become embedded in high-value and complex manufacturing has been coined as ‘digital twinning’, which started in automotive engineering and aerospace and has been rapidly adopted across construction and maritime industries. We will demonstrate how this is being applied now in implementing change. We explore the application of digital technology in process modelling, not just static diagrams but also hierarchical models that can be flexed with analysis tools such as ‘lean’ and ‘customer experience’ and then tested.

Visual industrial simulation was one of the first technologies to be applied, enabling engineers to share large-scale automation on a screen with executives and facilitate operational experiments. This can be replicated in administration processes that are difficult to imagine. As an executive getting closer to the front line, understanding the impact and benefit of change will provide greater confidence and confirm the support required for success.

Explain this diagram more by breaking it up.

Thus the ability to visualise the new business at the process level confirms the need for training across the enterprise. Building tailored training curricula is quick and easy with the tools and techniques online by understanding your company’s culture and existing skill levels and identifying internal change agents. The ability to implement the change internally is fundamental to its Sustainability and speed of application. It will also facilitate the ability to reduce the external costs of implementation.

Successful implementation of technology will require detailed project management of both the technology and the internal change; project management must combine both elements and require an internal resource to face off with any partners. Understanding the critical project management principles enables executives to fully engage Project managers in conversation, understand reporting outcomes, and be aware of requests made to make changes. The benefit will be more honest reporting and less overrun regarding time and resources.

Technology implementations must be measured regarding corporate and personal (staff) benefits. Selecting the correct measures and a timescale of realisation will be shown to be part of the project management portfolio as part of the plan relating to how the technology will impact the business process model.

Alongside using Project management skills, we will explore how Process Ownership will be a vital element of this and how as an executive, you can re-align your management team from departmental silo management to end-to-end processes and apply appropriate key performance indicators. Target Operating Models, in this instance, can help with the ongoing visualisation of how the business will look and feel in the future.

Using the examples of the End-to-End processes modelled as part of the Business Process Modelling exercise, we can align these with business roles to flesh out the Target Operating Model and then overlay this with the Organisational Command and Control system. This will enable the executives to explore resource management and process measurement issues.

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Executive Summary – Key points

Technology Leadership and technical skill

The learning in this module is that to lead a technology project, business leaders need a level of understanding to manage technical experts and the impact of the technology in terms of people and processes.

Cartoon using clip art of different skills
Potential example Jeff Bezos

Scope of Technology Implementation

This learning is focused on the process that management can use to evaluate the scope and type of technology; when considering digital-based technology, typically such as integrated or ‘best of breed’ solutions. For other technologies, the decisions will focus on features and functionality.

Horizon scanning using customers and competition

To be able to lead and select technology, this learning explores market research and the need to manage this process well and integrate all the possible sources, including staff, public information, competitor analysis and customer feedback. How in non-digital areas, links with suitable research bodies can be vital. Market Research should be continuous and agile to react to market and industry changes. Managing external resources can also be critical to this being successful.

Diagram showing how the different sources can be melded and analysed
Fact from an Article from Wilson Wong CPD expert

Relate technology impact to the market.

Application of technology can be seen as a ‘me too’ or vanity project; the implementation of technology must be seen in terms of business performance, be it market share, improved margin or new market development. Learning how to evaluate opportunities and rank alternatives objectively is part of this module.

Diagram reflecting the impact on costs and timescales of both good and bad decisions

Examples such as Web van (poor) and Deliveroo (good), plus the use of the J curve

Impact and Sustainability

Businesses are also now judged, as well as costs and benefits that can be measured quantitatively. Their approach and implementation of social and environmental actions can impact their performance. Understanding the impact of new standards and also customer reaction/intentions. This requires other forms of research and horizon scanning in legislation and the political landscape.

Examples of achieving standards include B Corp and abstracts from an HBR article on how Sustainability can impact profitability.

Visioning and storytelling of the future state

This learning focuses on articulating the introduction of any new technology and the associated changes from a business and personal point of view. Capturing the need to embrace and demonstrate commitment and participation in any changes.

Examples of good storytelling executives are Jack Welch, Steve Jobs, Jim Ratcliffe.

Training and communications with all staff on the change

Training must be considered in the round, not just in the technology, system or process but in new skills. This level of disruption can provide a perfect backdrop for broader training objectives and general upskilling of staff. Measuring organisational capability in these terms will enable a better focus on its implementation and outcomes.

Digital transformation integrates and demands process understanding.

For example, the rapid development of digital technologies and sustainable materials means that leaders can get paralysed in their decision-making due to a fear of making the wrong choice. To mitigate this, learning to be able to understand the business process model, how you can flex it, and the impact in terms of people and process, as in other areas of design, system design is best done with a digital twin of the real world, provides a platform for meaningful exchange between process operators, their managers and business managers.

Diagram/picture of a digital twin process model.

Extractions of Models, maybe

Digital transformation requires process agility and no residual change resistance.

Faster technology development leads to a need to review processes more regularly and to have an open mind on change. Developing the internal change capability across several skills becomes fundamental in managing costs and making any change proposed more acceptable and sustainable.

Digital is making transformation quicker than ever, demanding fast and robust decision-making.

Decision-making during a business transformation involving technology will be required at all levels; appropriate tools and how to use them will be essential parts of the training programme and must be married with proper levels of responsibility/mandates to reduce the traffic of decisions being passed up the organisation.

Cartoon of words of typical decision support techniques.

Tech target facts on the pace of Change in Digital

Internal project management is needed despite any technology partner plans

Project Management can be delegated either consciously or not to the primary provider of the technology. As internal resources will inevitably be employed, management needs to ensure that internal resource constraints are integrated into the external partner’s plan. Understanding the project management principles and applying the correct level of control is vital, mainly in reporting progress.

Clipart of project timeline.

Project management must embrace both change and technology implementation.

As stated above, the close integration of technology and change (related to people and process elements) is vital to enable successful implementation. This can be achieved through integrated or individual plans with recognised touchpoints. There are several Project Management tools, so close coupling might be challenging. The minimum integration will be through regular reporting on progress, issues, and risks.

Assess set targets and monitor benefits.

The final focus is defining the most appropriate measures as Key Performance Indicators (KPI) to measure the project, ensuring both leading and lagging indicators. As for applying these, it is helpful to understand that these measures are not predictable. Therefore, tolerance levels around the chosen criteria will allow market and environmental changes. The quality control approach also ensures that reporting can be more honest.

The diagram of how this might work for a particular measure
Use of balanced scorecard examples

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Process Outline

Process of development to effectively implement technology

1. Technology Impact/Pace
2. Identifying suitable Applications
3. Building Technology Leadership Capability
4. Understanding the impact
5. Process model, design and management
6. Change Management
7. Change Leadership
8. Technology Vendor Selection
9. Business Case
10. Change & Implementation Planning
11. Implementation Management

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Curriculum

Technology Invoked Change – Part 1- Year 1

1. Part 1 Month 1 Technology Development
2. Part 1 Month 2 Technology Identification
3. Part 1 Month 3 Technology Leadership
4. Part 1 Month 4 Analysing Impact
5. Part 1 Month 5 Business Process Models
6. Part 1 Month 6 Managing Processes
7. Part 1 Month 7 Change Agenda
8. Part 1 Month 8 Technology Selection
9. Part 1 Month 9 Business Case
10. Part 1 Month 10 Establishing KPI’s
11. Part 1 Month 11 Change Management Plan
12. Part 1 Month 12 Change Leadership

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Program Objectives

The following list represents the Key Program Objectives (KPO) for the Appleton Greene Technology Invoked Change corporate training program.

Technology Invoked Change – Part 1- Year 1

1. Part 1 Month 1 Technology Development – Examining the history of technological innovation from the early industrial revolution through process analysis and improvement to digital transformation. Looking not only at the speed of development and adoption but the impact on workers involved in the implementation. Understanding the lag between the performance of the technology and the support given to employees and, latterly, the transformation of the world of work challenges the way we think about the social fabric of society as the level of manual tasks falls rapidly, and our lives become digitally transparent. How we have adopted and applied technology is the result of several factors, including but not exclusively the perceived threat to our livelihood, how the technology is presented in terms of ‘what is in it for me and finally, what will be the impact on my community and more latterly the impact on the planet. Exercises can include a self and company technology adoption and target questionnaire.
2. Part 1 Month 2 Technology Identification – The application of technology requires a clear strategy from a business and technology perspective. To gain a clear view of the vision of the future, the company should constantly be scanning the horizon across markets, industries, customers and competition. Gathering intelligence needs to be structured so the results can be presented in an easily digestible form to enable any decisions to drive the company towards its short- and long-term objectives. In broad terms, these objectives include a number of the following Market Growth, Improved Profitability, Increased Sustainability and Higher Productivity. As businesses cannot manage all objectives simultaneously, these may be weighted to facilitate scoring individual or combination strategies. Alongside the setting of the business strategy, the technology strategy will be an enabler; this also requires intelligence gathering across subjects such as materials development, digital automation, mobile devices, service provision and process automation. The story of new management techniques will also impact the application of technology and its success rate. Business transformation will require senior management to understand the business model well. Developing a digital twin base on End-to-End processes provides an unambiguous definition of how the business works and where there are opportunities for improvement and change.
3. Part 1 Month 3 Technology Leadership – Following the identification of the potential technologies that meet the strategic objectives, Leadership will need to be shown in selecting and implementing the identified technologies. Several key areas need to be addressed, including; Communication of the vision, Identifying and building a change cohort, and Allocating process and data ownership. Communicating the vision requires skills in storytelling and the ability to address the ‘what is in it for me?’ question that will be on all management and staff minds. Delivering a vision with passion and drive helps to cement commitment and motivation to change. Building a change cohort will need business leaders to create a balanced team and train them in crucial change management skills such as problem analysis, Lean analysis, decision making, solution definition and communication—the latter both internal and external. The critical part of any technology-invoked Change will be the impact on the business processes and the need for more automation to be introduced to manage the data. In both these cases, ownership will be essential, as will the application of targets for performance. As technology implementation tends to be transformatio